George Russell and Max Verstappen lock out the front row for the Canadian Grand Prix just a few weeks after their spat in Spain.
The skirmish led to Verstappen being on the brink of a race ban, having incurred three points on his superlicence for the collision that the stewards deemed was avoidable.
Verstappen apologised after the race on social media, although he will now need to be on his best behaviour if he wants to avoid a potential race ban in the next two events, as his next penalty points do not expire until July.
Title rival Lando Norris lines up seventh on the grid after making a mistake in his first run at the final chicane, and then failing to improve on his final run.
Discussing how Russell will approach battling Verstappen at the first corner, Nico Rosberg outlined how he thinks the Briton races the Red Bull driver better when speaking on Sky Sports.
Nico Rosberg explains how George Russell races Max Verstappen better than Lando Norris
Russell defied expectations in the Mercedes by beating Verstappen to pole at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, setting a lap that was 0.160s quicker than the Dutchman.
Pole favourite Oscar Piastri was only third quickest after McLaren opted to use the soft tyre, which did not have the same grip levels as the medium used by Verstappen and Russell.
After Norris was forced into taking to the escape road when head-to-head with Verstappen in Miami, Rosberg believes Russell will be more forceful in his lead defence.
“George has done a great job, and he’s really standing up against Max Verstappen. He will stick it in there at Turn 1, even if Max is there. Respect,” said Rosberg.
“Norris is often more on the losing end to these wheel-to-wheel battles with Verstappen; he’s not been as strong and as forceful as George. Also in the media, different dynamics and I quite like how he does it.”
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Max Verstappen thinks penalty points talk ‘a waste of time’
Verstappen being on the brink of a race ban has been a major talking point in Canada, considering how easy it can be to pick up points for incidents on track.
The Dutchman has been in a few incidents on track, notably with Norris, that contributed to his points total. When asked about it by the media after qualifying, Verstappen felt it was a ‘waste of time’ bringing it up ahead of the race.
“I don’t need to hear it again. It’s really p—– me off. I mean, you were speaking about it on Thursday. It’s such a waste of time. It’s very childish. So, that’s why I also don’t want to say too much because it’s really annoying, this world that we live in,” said Verstappen.
If he wins the Canadian GP, Verstappen could surpass Alain Prost’s record for most wins not starting from pole, with it aptly standing at 33 victories.
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